Jakartans defiant in face of terrorism

Ina Parlina, Prima Wirayani and Ganug Nugroho

The Jakarta Post

Jakarta |
Fri, January 15, 2016 | 07:43 am

Unnerved: A city bus passes the Starbucks Coffee outlet on Jl. MH Thamrin, Central Jakarta, which displays a #prayforjakarta hashtag. The cafe was where a shootout between security forces and gunmen first occurred on Thursday.(JP/Seto Wardhana) (JP/Seto Wardhana)

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Unnerved: A city bus passes the Starbucks Coffee outlet on Jl. MH Thamrin, Central Jakarta, which displays a #prayforjakarta hashtag. The cafe was where a shootout between security forces and gunmen first occurred on Thursday.(JP/Seto Wardhana)

The nation, from President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and religious leaders to the general populace, defiantly stated its determination to stand united in the face of terrorist attacks on Thursday.

The President called for calm and urged the nation not to cower in the face of the barbaric attacks that shook the city on Thursday in a district packed with malls, embassies, government headquarters and UN offices. It is also located less than 200 meters from the Presidential Palace.

'The state, the nation and the people must not be fearful, must not bow down to terrorism,' Jokowi said in a statement.

As news of Thursday morning's attacks broke, the President cut short his visit to Cirebon in West Java, returning to the capital by helicopter. He inspected the scene on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta, before chairing a limited Cabinet meeting to discuss security in the wake of the incident.

'Everything is under control,' Jokowi assured the nation.

At around 10:50 a.m., devices exploded outside a Starbucks cafe and a small police post near the Sarinah shopping center on Jl. MH Thamrin.

The attacks killed two civilians, an Indonesian and a Canadian, and seriously injured 24 victims, including police officers and one citizen each of the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Algeria, according to the National Police. Five terrorists were also killed in the attack.

Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama described the terrorists as cowards. 'I condemn acts like these, which are justified by no religion. You are not God,' the governor said at City Hall.

Jakarta Police chief Ins. Gen. Tito Karnavian said the police would boost security measures to ensure the safety of the city and its people.

'We have to stand strong. We are chasing the culprits and their networks and also reinforcing security in Jakarta,' Tito said.

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman Said Aqil Siradj said no religion or civilization could tolerate such despicable acts. 'I swear to God that any form of terrorism runs contrary to Islam,' Said proclaimed.

Muhammadiyah chairman Haedar Nashir pointed out that terrorists intended to create fear and chaos in society. 'The population must remain calm and unafraid. Let the security apparatus take care of the problem,' Haedar said.

Separately, the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) expressed condolences to the families and friends of those killed. The Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) also condemned the attacks.

Meanwhile on social media, netizens quickly united behind defiant hashtags #JakartaBerani (Jakarta is Brave) and #KamiTidakTakut (We are not Afraid) boldly stating their refusal to be cowed by the attacks.

Internet user Granary Agapia said she had joined the hashtag on social media platform Path, as she wanted to foster positive energy for herself and for other people.

Fellow netizen Giasinta Angguni Pranandhita, who posted the hashtag to her Facebook account, said that the posting was intended to show the terrorists that their actions would not stop the city's people from going about their business.

'We must stay alert, but not paranoid. We must show that we stand together and will not let such incidents leave us paralyzed,' she added.

A group of residents is organizing a solidarity event scheduled for Friday titled Kami Tak Takut Teror (We are not afraid of terror). Held at the scene of the violence on Jl. MH Thamrin, the rally will begin at 4 p.m.

In the meantime, the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI), the benchmark of the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), retreated 1.72 percent from Wednesday's closing shortly after the bombing and ended Thursday's first trading session at 4,459. The index, however, began to rebound from the opening of the second trading session and closed the day at 4,513 from 4,537 on Wednesday.

Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said that the government would move to calm the market should it appear jittery. 'The volatility appears to be temporary. The most important thing is to step up security measures to bring back confidence,' Bambang said.

In response to the death of its citizen, the Canadian Embassy in Jakarta said in a statement that to protect the privacy of the individual concerned, further details on this case cannot be released.

'We are aware of media reports that a Canadian may have been among the victims. The government of Canada, in collaboration with Indonesian authorities, is investigating and attempting to confirm the identify of the victim.'

Within a few minutes, two other men hold two civilians hostage, one foreign national and an Indonesian. The foreign national is shot dead.

The two terrorist suspects then start shooting at policemen, who fire back from behind a police car. During the shoot-out, the two men throw grenades at the officers. However, the police eventually manage to kill the two suspects.

While the police are distracted by the shoot-out with the two terrorists, two other suspects ride on a motorcycle toward the traffic police post located in the middle of Jl. Thamrin. They commit a suicide bomb attack on the traffic post.

* After the final explosion, the police's bomb squad raid the surrounding buildings (the Djakarta Theater and the Cakrawala Building) and eventually find six bombs that have yet to be detonated.

3 p.m.

Police continue to monitor the area. The area is eventually declared safe.

Police suspect that the pistols used were mostly homemade.

CasualtiesSeven deaths: five terrorists, one Indonesian, one Canadian.24 injured: five police officers, four foreign nationals, 15 Indonesians. The foreigners are Johan Kieft of the Netherlands, Frank Feulner of Germany, Manfred Stoif of Austria and Morad Al Muneri of Algeria.